Tunability range of 245 nm in a diode-pumped Tm : BaY2F8 laser at 1.9 mu m: a theoretical and experimental investigation

Extremely wide wavelength tuning ranges of up to similar to 300 nm around 1.9 mu m are theoretically predicted in a Tm-doped BaY2F8 crystal, on the basis of near-infrared measurements of emission and absorption cross sections. A tunability interval of 245 nm, from 1849 nm to 2059 nm, has been demonstrated by room-temperature laser experiments using a 8% Tm-doped crystal.